Classic show stopper...

Malinda Williams is a classic beauty. Her sleek hair cut allows her to have fun with her makeup, but I love how she keeps it simple. She knows how to accentuate her features and let her beauty shine through the make up. For the Soul Train Awards she was wearing black and white so she wanted to focus on the eyes and wear a bold lip for her pop of color.

1. To start I always do the brows. I use MAC Lingering eyebrow pencil to give the brow the shape I want. Then I use the Anastasia Brow Kit brow powder in brown to fill in the brow. I highlight under the brow with NARS Toffee Concealer.

2. I used MAC paint in Artjam as a base then I use Cover Girl Eye Enhancer shadows to blend the look to perfection. I always use a warm color like MAC Texture or Saddle to blend through the crease when I use frosty or shimmer shadows.

3. I used Loreal HIP color truth in black to line the top of the lid, and I wet MAC Eyeshadow in Sketch to smudge and smoke out the eye under her bottom lashes. I lined the water line with MAC Smolder pencil, and we double stacked lashes for a more dramatic look.

4. Her skin was highlighted with Milani Tan Tastic, and her lip was a Love and War hot pink gloss stain by REVEL.

Vivica Fox...Sweet As Candy

I recently dolled up the beautiful Vivica Fox for the Fire & Ice Gala hosted by one of her best friends, jewelry designer, Lucy Kilislian. The event was to showcase Lucy's fabulous Candy Ice collection and the proceeds benefited Fresh2O.

Vivica Fox & Lucy Kilislian

Vivica and Lucy both wanted a smokey eye look, and I did them both differently.  Here's a breakdown of Vivica's smokey eye. First I prep her skin with Murad Skin Perfecting Primer. I then fill her eye brows in with MAC Spiked Eyebrow Pencil and I highlight her brow with MAC Concealer in NC45. I use MAC Bamboo Paint on her lid for an eye shadow base, then I apply colors from the Smashbox Smokebox II Palette....blending the darkest color in the crease. I add #523 lashes for a more dramatic effect, black liquid liner on the lid and Stila's Black Kajal liner in her waterline.

Her skin is then highlighted with Koh Gen Do foundation in #301 and contoured in Koh Gen Do foundation #302. I then set her foundation with NARS pressed powder in Tahoe and New Orleans. Her blush is MAC Peaches, and her lip is YSL #4 Rouge Volupte and Milani "Puttin on the Ritz" lipgloss for a nude shine. Good luck! xo

Smoking isn't all bad....

Smoking as in, smoking out your eyes for a gorgeous evening look! If you have an event to go to and your outfit is simple, do more with your face. Bring attention to your eyes by taking colors like grey, dark brown, dark green, navy or black to the lid first. Using a blending brush, blend a neutral tone eye shadow like a peach or light taupe through your crease so the edges of the dark color aren't so harsh. Then take a kohl liner (my favorite is Stila's Kajal), and line your water line and on top for smudge ability. Take an angle brush and reapply some of your dark smoky color under your bottom lash line for a more dramatic effect.

You can do mascara for 10 minutes each eye or just pop on a pair of lashes to really bring the drama. When doing a smoky eye, keep your blush neutral like bronze or flesh tone. Your lips should be neutral too. I used YSL #4 Rouge Volupte, MAC Plum Liner, and Milani 'Puttin on the Glitz' lipgloss. Good luck!

Low cost GLAM...

I have so many women asking me which lipstick color will work best for their skin tone. I can always give a general answer, but it's always best to try ANY make up on...especially lipstick! Spending money on cosmetics can be frustrating if you find yourself taking the wrong colors home, then having to exchange or return the products.

 I always say, experiment with new lip colors sold at drugstores or beauty supplies. The cost can be anywhere from 1.99 to 8.99, but it's much cheaper to by five or six of those versus one lipstick at a department store. This way if you try it and hate it, it's not a huge loss. Not to mention, you can always mix colors, or put them with glosses to change the look.

So the next time you're out and about, pick up a few lipsticks from Jordana, Milani, or even Wet N' Wild and try them out on the town! Good luck! xo

Angell Con~Well Done...

Angell Conwell, star of the new show Family Time on Bounce TV, celebrated her birthday and the launch of her new show all in one. She wanted to share this moment with a few of her special friends, cast members, and more! The intimate event was fabulous, and everyone dined on gourmet pizza served by 'Crust' while they mingled.


Angell and cast members Omar Gooding, Bentley Kyle Evans Jr., & Jayla Calhoun

Since it was a daytime event, she wanted to keep her look simple but edgy...especially since her dress was dainty in the front, rocker in the back! We decided to open up her eyes, and smoke out the bottom lashes to add depth. I had to pull out the white eyeliner for this look...so I got excited! Be careful when using white eyeliner. If done wrong, eyes can appear too far apart or crossed.

Blend concealer over the lips before applying nude colors.

FACE TIME: She loves hints of pink in her makeup, so I went with MAC Pigment in Pink Opal on her lid. I blended MAC Blackberry eyeshadow and Texture in the crease, then smudged the same colors under her bottom lashes. I used MAC white eye liner called Fascinating in her water line, to make her eyes pop and appear larger. After several heavy coats of mascara and simple lashes, I lined her upper lid with black creme liner. I used a blend of my favorite Koh Gen Do foundations on her skin, with Murad Dewey Primer underneath. On her cheeks, I blended MAC Peaches Blush and Desire by NARS. For her lip color, I kept it neutral with a hint of pink with YSL Rouge Pur Couture #06 and my summer fave...Milani lip gloss "Puttin On The Glitz".



Angell's look was as successful as her event! Stay tuned for much more from this talented beauty! xo

Fabulous Frenchie Davis...

I had the pleasure of working with talented songstress, Frenchie Davis recently for a red carpet appearance. One of my good friends, make up artist Cynthia Rivas, normally does her make up, but she was out of town, and she trusted me to her client's face. I am always happy to meet a new face:)

I remembered the name Frenchie Davis, but it wasn't until I saw her in person and chatted with her that I really remembered. This woman's voice is amazing, speaking of  her sound, she was even on "The Voice" showcasing her skills last year. Not to mention her powerful roles in classic musicals like Rent, Dreamgirls, and Ain't Misbehavin'. Now working to get her new music to her fans, you'll be hearing more from her very soon. She is super cool as well, and a force to be reckoned with! I was ecstatic to say the least.

Behind the scenes...

She LOVES makeup, so I wanted to make sure I did her, and her long time makeup artist friend Terrell Mullin, proud! We decided to go with the natural eye, bold lip combo since her dress was animal print. 

FACE TIME: I used MAC Pigment on the lid, with MAC eye shadows Swiss Chocolate and Texture in the crease. I lined her eyes with Stila's Kajal black eye pencil, and finished it off with my favorite Wispie Lashes from Ardell. Her cheek color was a combination of Smashbox blush in Smashing Flare, and Luster shimmer from NARS. Her lip was lined with YSL #7 Lip Pencil and her lip color was a red by YSL Rouge Pur Couture #1, with Milani golden gloss in her pout. Needless to say, she rocked the carpet that night!!

Much success to you Frenchie Davis, and I do hope to work with you again soon! xo

What's in my kit??...

People are always asking me what's in my kit. I just say a little bit of everything, because it's the truth. Starting out at Prescriptives, working 7 years with MAC, 2 years with YSL, and freelancing in Barneys New York....I have way more products than I actually use. My MUST HAVE staples are Koh Gen Do Foundations, NARS powders, YSL Touche' Eclat concealers, MAC eye shadows, and blush from anybody I like at the time. I am a huge fan of YSL lipsticks as well as Milani lipglosses for that hint of shine! I am obsessed with Mally Roncal's Poreless Face Defender, and Eve Lom Skincare for under my make up. If there are any new products on the market, I'm always willing to try them once on a test shoot first to see how the product responds. I never try new things on clients, especially red carpet clients.....I fear unexpected surprises once the cameras go off:) I like to mix it up, but I'm pretty much a creature of habit when I do make up...so although I have LOTS to choose from, I can get a face camera ready with only 7 items!

Check back to my blog as I compare beauty supply and drugstore brands with higher end brands. The look is just as flawless...just you wait and see!

Loving Milani Cosmetics!!

So I did a photo shoot today with a friend of mine, and she told me I could leave my kit at home?? She said someone from Milani Cosmetics was going to drop some product off, and that she wanted me to use it. Skeptical about the idea, I brought my basic kit ...just in case:) To my surprise, the Milani products worked beautifully on all of the models. I wasn't happy that I hadn't heard about them until today, but I'm glad I know about them now!


The shoot was pretty long, starting out being really hot outside, then turning very cold towards the night...and the make up stood the test of time. The models barely needed touch ups for shine, which is rare. Here is picture from super talented hair artist, Joshua Allen Brown's phone (taken towards the end of the shoot). I will post more pics as I get them!